Pros And Cons Of Being Tyranny

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Recommended: The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Tyranny In Government

Andie Aldana
Professor Butler
Political Thoery
03/23/2018
Why is tyranny of the majority worse than tyranny of government?

Tyranny of the majority is worse than tyranny of the government because although governments pose a potential threat to individual liberty, societies can pose an even greater threat. Power lies in numbers, when a group of people hold this power it is a painful fight to be on if you are on the opposition. “Society can and does execute its own mandates: and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things in which it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties it leaves …show more content…

Naturally, individuals who deviate from these social norms are opening an opportunity for them to potentially be shunned and ostracized by the majority. Often times, individuals are therefore forced to conform to social norms in order to avoid social wrath. This way of living however can become intolerable In comparison to governmental tyranny, due to the fact that we participate in our societies daily. It is hard to live a life in an environment where you are constantly out-casted, ostracized, and shunned by your fellow members of society, there is no way of escaping it.
In conclusion, Mills does a great job of painting this visual of a society in which the individuals look out for the best interest of one another. Mills believed in a lot of individual liberties and the limits of authority the government had when it came to intervening individual liberties, even if they lead to self harm. Once an individual puts others in potential harm however, is when not only the government, but society as a whole has a civil responsibility to partake in the punishment of the law

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